Why Berries Are Usually More Expensive Than Other Fruits - Tasting Table

"If you're wondering why your favorite fresh berries are so much more expensive than other options like apples and bananas, it's probably because you are thinking about fruit as plants, not commodities. Like it or not, our modern food infrastructure is full of complex structures to get oranges from California, tropical fruit, and potatoes from Idaho onto the same store shelves. And being a commodity means every little bump in that road ends with a little bump in price that you see at the grocery store."

"Berries require more specialized care and handling than other fruits, which affects their availability."

"berries only thrive in specific climates and seasons, meaning if they are not local, they often travel a great distance to make it to the shelf."

Berries require specialized care and handling, increasing labor and logistical costs compared with sturdier fruits. They thrive only in specific climates and seasons, so nonlocal berries often travel long distances, adding fuel, maintenance, and labor expenses. Delicate fruit needs specific packaging and gentle handling to avoid damage and spoilage during transit and on shelves. Berries tend to produce smaller yields per acre and are replanted every season, unlike many tree fruits, raising production costs. The combination of seasonality, fragility, packaging, transport, lower yields, and frequent replanting drives higher retail prices for fresh berries.

Read at Tasting Table